Morialta Citizenship Awards

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:05): It is a privilege to stand in this chamber every year and commend Morialta Citizenship Award winners—students from the community that I have the privilege to serve, who go above and beyond in their daily lives in the schools in our community. Indeed, as members of parliament, we do meet some spectacularly gifted young people in the work that we do and kids who give a great deal.

I have been proud to support the Morialta Citizenship Award since my very early days as a member of parliament and to provide that opportunity for each of our local schools to nominate students who provide that great, above-and-beyond role modelling for their peers.

This year, in 2022 there were 18 students from schools, almost all of the schools in Morialta who received this recognition. There is a reward—a book voucher and certificate, and we reflect on their contributions in the house for posterity. I commend them to the house today.

That service, whether to school or community, can take many forms. A number of these students had leadership roles within their schools or were house captains or SRC representatives. Some of them mentored, tutored or coached or otherwise supported younger students in their school or supported charities. Many were involved in sports—athletics, football, basketball, soccer, rowing. Students volunteered their time in libraries, sports sheds, classrooms and at school crossings.

These are students who have responsibly carried out a range of extracurricular activities, including helping to organise sports days, dance, drama and music performances, the National Youth Science Forum, the Premier's Reading Challenge, the Youth Environment Council of South Australia, and a range of other conservation and environmental programs and charities at a global, national, statewide and local level within our Morialta community.

Many of these students raised money for their causes or volunteered significant time, and all of them demonstrated a commitment to their community and our state that is commendable. They also supported other students in their schools, other young people in the community. I commend the following students to the house:

from Athelstone School, Mackenzie Walsh and Anton Rybine;

from Charles Campbell College, Jordan Sperou (the Senior Secondary) and Hannah Gray (for the Middle School);

from Highbury Primary School, Ethan Kehoe;

form Modbury High School, Soha Moshfeghi;

from Norwood International High School, Lauren Adler;

from Rostrevor College, Sebastian Rapuano;

from St Agnes Primary School, Will Jones;

From St Francis of Assisi School at Newton, Sofia Allocca;

from St Ignatius' College, Callum Pryzibilla;

from Stradbroke College (a very large primary school indeed) Chloe Formosa, Sara Matern, Dania John and Bria Duncan;

from Thorndon Park Primary School, Mehan Balamurli—I still remember the cheer going up at the Rostrevor Baptist Church when Mehan's name was mentioned. Many of these students are of course popular in their communities. I think Mehan got the biggest spontaneous cheer for the year, and not just from his family, although they were pretty enthusiastic, I must say;

and last but in no way least, from Torrens Valley Christian School, Erin Horskins.

These outstanding young South Australians are very worthy winners of the Morialta Citizenship Award for 2022. I congratulate them. I thank their families also for the support they have given them and obviously the support they have given them to become the fine young people they are. I congratulate other winners in the past in whose steps they have followed.

I cannot wait to see the positive impact that these young people will have in our community, our state and potentially the world in the years to come as they put their skills, their dispositions, all that they have learnt, their tremendous work ethic and community spirit that have been demonstrated through the service that I have described today. I commend all the Morialta Citizenship Award winners to the house.